Timber merchant held for 'raping' and killing woman in Kerala

Pathanamthitta: Nearly two years after a 26-year-old woman was found dead at her lover’s residence near here, the Crime Branch wing of the Kerala police has solved the case by arresting a 39-year-old man for allegedly raping and killing her.

The crime branch on Monday arrested the accused, Naseer, a timber merchant from Kottangal village, for ”brutally raping and killing” the woman who was staying with her lover after being separated from her husband.

The accused had gone to her lover’s house in the same village in the district for timber dealings on the day of the incident. According to officials, the case was solved by scientific investigation including matching the DNA of the accused with the evidence collected.

The woman was found hanging in her lover’s residence on December 15, 2019.

The local police which initially probed the case had written off it as a case of suicide. Later, the case was handed over to the Crime Branch in February last year and its scientific investigation including the DNA test proved that the woman was subjected to brutal rape before being hanged by the accused. During its probe, the local police had taken her lover, an auto driver, into custody on the suspicion that he was the culprit in the case.

However, the crime branch probe revealed that it was Naseer who had committed the crime while her lover and his father had gone out of the house in the morning.

Scientific examination revealed the presence of his sperm in the woman’s genitals and his DNA matched with the evidence collected, officials said. The investigation found that she had been subjected to brutal sexual assault and physical abuse before being hanged from the roof of the house, officials said.